Hey! Chapter five here~! Yay! Well thanks to everyone who reveiwed. And yes. Scorpion, Deidara wanted to pounce on Sasori in that last segment. heh heh heh. Someone asked if I could tell a bit about konoha in this so I did. I hope you like it. It kind of gives an idea of what is going on. Their relatinship is going kind of slow but I like it like that. Not too fast.

Disclaimer: I really hate bugs. But I love Dengeki Daisy.

Chapter four: Better Place

Sakura was lying in a hospital bed. She was pretty sure she could be released but Tsunade didn't want her or Tenten to leave until she was done telling the village that two of their ninja had been kidnapped and maybe killed at the hands of the Akatsuki. She didn't want to girls to be there when she recapped the details. She didn't want them to break down, they had been through a lot already.

Sakura felt at tear roll down her cheek. Mainly because they had used Kakashi's dogs earlier to find their scent and nothing came up. The scent just ended a couple steps away from the battle. The mix of Akatsuki and death, they said. Blood. But not just Hinata and Ino's blood.

Apparently the two members had just massacred a lord and fifty of his associates on the border of Konoha. That was also going to be unveiled at the public speech given by the Hokage.

Their funeral was going to be held if they hadn't been found in a month. Sakura had begged they search for a couple months but Tsunade had to explain they just couldn't spend that much time on the two girls. Life had to move on. Some days, Sakura wished she was taken with them. Only because like this she knew she failed.

She didn't save them.

" Sakura!" and suddenly she was attacked by her blonde teammate. " We were so worried! Well Sai said he was but you never know with him but Sakura I'm so happy you're OK and I heard about Hinata and I know she's alive so don't cry OK?!" Sakura had a hard time hearing Naruto when they first met but now she had it easy. She had to hold the tears tightly, not letting them fall.

" Their funeral is being held in a month if we don't find them," She stifled a sob, putting her hands on her face, resisting the urge to cry into them. It had been a long time since she broke down like this.

" Them?" Naruto felt stupid asking but he had just heard that Hinata was kidnapped. A pit in the bottom if his stomach formed. He knew where this was going.

" Ino was taken too…" Sakura hiccupped, grabbing Naruto's arm. " I saw her face. Covered with blood." She cried some more.

" Sakura," Naruto said tenderly, rare for his character. " Ino ,they think, is dead. Her funeral is being held tomorrow, in the flower fields." He told her and watched her break down. She couldn't help it. Now she couldn't be strong. This one time, she'll allow herself to be weak.

" I'll never forgive them," she cried holding on to Naruto.

" I know," Naruto whispered, hugging her. " I know."

The young girl cried more that day then she did the night Sasuke left.

It was different this time. Sasuke was still out there. As far as Sakura knew, Ino wasn't.

Ino was alive and well. Better then well, even. Her and Hinata were getting dressed and Ino couldn't keep it in any longer.

" Do you feel really good now, Hinata?" She asked, smiling.

" Not near as good as, um, you, Ino," Hinata mumbled, putting on the shirt. Ino just laughed then did something that shocked poor Hinata.

She let out a high pitched shriek when she was done. Hinata looked at her shocked

" Hinata let out a war cry!" Ino laughed and threw her hands up. The shy girl only shook her head and let out a modest cry.

" That was pathetic, Hinata!" Ino laughed as she walked outside, feeling more comfortable in the new outfit she had on.

She was met with a red Deidara and an awkward looking Sasori. It made her laugh.

" What's your problem?" she asked, looking at the two, rubbing the back of her neck.

"Nothing, un," Deidara murmured and started to walk. He had Hiruko and soon got into the puppet.

" Let's go," Sasori mumbled also starting to walk tugging on Ino with his Chakra strings. " Stop being slow."

Ino mumbled a couple insults only to be tripped by another one of Sasori's chakra strings. The two started to bicker a bit.

" AT least I'm not the freak in the puppet."

" Well, at least I'm not the slave to the freak in the puppet."

They continued like this, each getting fairly angry with the other. It even got to death threats.

" This is the first time I've seen Sasori act like this, un," Deidara told Hinata as they started their mission. " Usually he doesn't even threat to kill people, he just does."

" Ino's always been, you know, a bit prone to argue, since we were little," Hinata admitted, remembering the wars that Sakura and Ino used to have when they were younger but it wasn't just Sakura. " She used to make girls at the academy cry. The biggest bully was brought to tears because of Ino but she's also good with words for making peace." Hinata had always been watching her classmates and Ino was always one of them that she aspired to be like.

" Danna isn't a big talker," Deidara murmured, rubbing his chin. " I'm the only person he talks to really, un." He frowned a bit, wondering why his Danna would trust him with that. Probably only because he was his partner.

" He probably respects you," Hinata decided looking up at him. " It takes a lot to open up to someone. Words are from the heart, I think." She finished with an unsure look on her face. Trying to get her point across but suddenly Deidara smiled, and it made Hinata smile warmly despite herself.

" You're right," he laughed. " You're completely right, Hinata-chan, un," Deidara smiled and the mission felt light. As if for a moment he wasn't a member of the Akatsuki and Hinata wasn't a kidnapped girl. They were just average people having an average conversation.

That image was shattered the second they reached the destination, an assassin guild off the rain village, for their first mission Pein didn't want the girls going too far from the camp and this guild was stealing some of the Akatsuki's business.

It was perfect except you don't steal the Akatsuki's business. That was asking for it. That and the Akatsuki's idea of 'it' is usually way worse then your own.

" How are we going to go about this?" Ino asked, looking at the guild, it was heavily guarded. Then she looked at Hinata and an idea came to mind.

" Hinata, use the Byakugan," she whispered. " See where the leader is. Two of us can distract the front guards and the other two can destroy it from the inside." Sasori had to admit it was a good plan. But he had one question.

" Good but how are we going to get inside?" He asked. Even if they did distract the front guards, it would be near impossible to get inside without more coming to destroy them. Nothing sucked more then dying on your first mission.

" Ino can use her mind transfer," Hinata mumbled looking at her partner. " Then with one of us as a intruder she can get inside." When she was done she smiled. Back home she never would have been able to say her idea of what to do.

" Great idea, un!" Deidara smiled and patted her back. She was taken back by the odd gesture.

" Yeah, but who's going to watch my body?" Ino asked and thought of Shikamaru and her old life. He always used to keep her real body safe. Back when they were a team. When she mattered to the leaf village.

She was brought back to the fight. It was after a failed mission. She didn't even remember the particulars but she remembered that Shikamaru was seething. He kept on telling her she needed to stop the stupid mistakes that this was why people called her weak.

She was never going o let that happen again.

" Ino, un?" Deidara asked, waving his hand in front of the other blonde's face. " We said we can put your real body in Hiruko. You can say you found it off in the forest so you and Sasori can get in easy." Ino had to admit that was an even better plan.

Deidara and Hinata stayed behind. They were going to make an explosion in the woods and then fight the guards that came to see what was going on.

Now this is teamwork, Ino internally cheered as she looked for someone she could grab hold of, preferably a female. She could take control of a man but women were easier for her. She knew the inner workings of women.

Men? Not so much.

Finally she found a female and worked her magic. She got in fairly easy, thanking her lucky stars that this girl wasn't like Sakura who had at least two people in her head at all times.

" Kimi," a large male yelled at her as she tried to go into the forest. " Why are you leaving your post?" Ino gulped and looked at the male smiling.

" Just seeing if there is anything in the forest, sir!" she said with a mixture of urgency and cuteness. Hoping to win over the man.

" Whoa," the man next to her sneered. " Kimi is actually being nice! Someone hit me!" Ino inwardly smiled knowing the second they got inside, he probably was.

" Whatever, I'm leaving," Ino growled, trying to sound mean and they let her. She found where Sasori was and nodded.

" There is enough room in there with me, right?" She asked, realizing how weird that sentence sounded. Hiruko just nodded, so she was guessing that was Sasori's way of saying yes.

In reality, Sasori has pushed himself to the farthest corner away from Ino's body. She looked so venerable. He wasn't used to feelings. And he sure as heel hated the one he felt know.

Puppets were supposed to feel. And that pissed him off more.

" I found this!" He heard Ino say, wanting to chuckle at how mean she was trying to sound. Ino also was on the verge of chuckling. It was fun playing as someone new. She was shocked at how easy they her through. This Kimi person was obviously someone that struck fear in these men's hearts.

Hinata had informed her earlier that If she just kept going forward from the entrance she would find the center of the organization and there she could get answers. She hoped Hinata was right.

" Sasori," she whispered, trying to serious and not out of place among the many associates and clients. " What do we do when we get to the leader?"

" Kill him and everyone else," Sasori murmured and Ino felt her heart drop. She had no idea if she could do that. It scared her but she desperately wanted to do good.

" Oh." She replied sadly and then sucked it up as they got closer to the main room. When she got there was a man sitting at a desk. He looked up to her and smiled.

" Kimi!" he yelled and got up and hugged her. " They weren't too mean to you, right?" He cried and squeezed.

" Where's the boss?" she asked wanting to run away from this guy.

" How mean!" the man cried. " How could you forget!" He stopped hugging her and pointed to himself. Ino about fell to her knees. This idiot was taking away the Akatsuki's business? This guy? Really?

" Sorry, boss," Ino gulped and smiled. Amazed by how fast the man bounced back. She was starting to see why Kimi was always in such a bad mood.

" Oh, it's OK!" He laughed and looked at her with a warm face.

" So, The Akatsuki's mad at you and say you're stealing their business," Ino told the man, getting an idea. She heard Sasori cough and Hiruko wagged his tail, he was probably mad at her but Ino had a plan.

" Those guys!" The man's face fell slightly. " Can we negotiate with them?"

" No," Ino said sternly. " They said they are going to kill you. They gave us this," she paused pointing to Sasori. " We don't know what it is but we suspect it's a timed weapon."

" Well," the man smiled but Ino didn't like the look of it. " Destroy it then. We won't back down to some club." Ino sighed. So much for tricking him. She dug into her pocket and found a kunai. She grasped hold of it and right as she was about to pull it out the unspeakable happened.

This guy leaned in to give her a kiss. She about died. All function was lost. It was a perfect time for Kimi to gain back control of her body

Ino awoke inside Hiruko. It was actually quite roomy. She looked around and found that Sasori was nowhere to be seen and sudden Hiruko opened and she pulled out the puppet like a rag doll. She came face to face with an extremely angry looking Sasori who was covered with - what she suspected was- the boss' and Kimi's blood.

" Are you stupid?" He yelled shaking her. She got angry too.

" It wasn't my fault the freak kissed me!" She yelled getting red in the face. Ino felt another fight coming on. She had done actually what she promised herself she would never do. That was what she was mostly upset about.

" You lost control!" he yelled. " You could have been killed! You're lucky I was here!"

" It seems like that's always the case, huh?" Ino yelled, looking away from Sasori. " You can kill me." She whispered and turned her head to look into his eyes. He just dropped her.

" Ow!" Ino cursed rubbing her butt. She looked up as Sasori was reentering his prized puppet.

" Don't ever do anything as stupid as that ever again, OK?" Sasori sighed and started to leave. Ino wiped her face quickly and followed him.

" I'll make it up to you one day, Sasori!" She yelled as she tried to catch up. He looked behind his shoulder briefly and then turned his head again.

" I mean it, jerk!" she cried and she even redeemed herself. Knocking out one of the few survivors. Even being able to slice his neck when he was done.

" Sasori!" she yelled jumping up and down. " I did it!"

" How do all the dead bodies not bother you?" He murmured, still ahead of her. " What are you some sort of freak?"

Ino heard this and smiled, catching up with him. Convinced she just got closer to having her wish come true. Unbeknownst to her, Sasori was thinking the same thing.

Deidara and Hinata were waiting for they. A bunch of bodies surrounded them too. That and marks on the ground where there had been explosions.

" Ino!" Hinata waved . " We were starting to get worried! How was it?"

" Uneventful." Sasori answered before she could open her mouth. She smiled, convinced he was covering for her. Hinata looked confused and just nodded.

" Well let's go, un," Deidara shrugged and the four them got on there way. After a while Hinata looked at Ino.

" Ino?' she asked, playing with her fingers awkwardly. " We heard a lot about a Kimi person, did you meet her?"

" You don't want to know, Hinata," Ino sighed exhausted. " You really don't want to know."

When they got back to camp Ino went straight for Sasori's room, waving to Hinata plopping on her bed. Sasori, after reporting to the leader also came in.

" What are you thinking about?" she asked, looking up to the puppet master. He looked down at her, blankly.

" Why I keep your around, " He told her and she stuck her tongue out at him. " I'm glad you didn't kill me though," She smiled closing her eyes. " I'm glad that you brought me here."

" Go to sleep, Ino," Sasori told her, brushing her bangs out of her face. He watched her fall asleep and for a moment he knew why he didn't kill her. But he wouldn't give her the satisfaction of letting her know that.

The flowers were beautiful. They were in full bloom as if they knew what they were hosting. There was a coffin in the middle of the field. The only thing in it were strands of blonde hair and a tattered piece of purple clothe.

The whole village was there, the people who were chosen to talk were Ino's family, Sakura, and finally Shikamaru. He was the last to talk.

" We got into a fight before she went on the mission," he started, feeling the tears coming. " I told her she was useless. I told her a bunch of things. And what I regret the most is knowing that she died hating me. That those men came to our village and killed her before I could tell her how wrong I was. The last time I saw Ino she was crying… " He felt the sobs shake his body but he didn't stop.

" One day I might be able to forgive those men," Shikamaru wiped his face and looked back to the audience. " But I won't let them forget what they have done. For Ino and the countless others that have been lost to their hands. I will bring down the Akatsuki… Look, Ino, the flowers are beautiful. She'd be laughing at us crying, wouldn't she? She'd laugh and pick some flowers," he stopped speaking and picked up a lone purple flower and set in on her coffin.

" You're where you belong now, Ino," he whispered and took his place in the crowd. " You're in a better place now."